Chivu Wishes Vieria Well, but Don’t Ask About the Shoulder

Romanian president Traian Basescu saw the boys off from Bucharest today, getting himself a #10 Mutu jersey from Mutu himself. After they arrived, and had a brief, rain-shortened practice, the team stopped to answer some press questions. High on captain Christian Chivu’s mind was Patrick Vieira, who is looking more and more questionable for France. On one level, having Italy and France without their captains can’t be all bad for Romania, but Chivu and Vieira are friends, and clubmates at Inter. He said it best at the press conference – “It could happen to me, it could happen to anyone.” Let’s hope it doesn’t, Christian.

And it seems that Captain Chivu was just about done answering questions about his shoulder, and apparently made that clear when asked. “I said it’s fine” was his only answer, but it’s more the tone – he’s ready to move on. The team all seem in good spirits (a 4-0 win will do that for you) and confident ahead of Monday’s meeting with France. Cosmin Contra summed up the team’s respect for, but not fear of, the French side, saying “France is a great team, but it’s not invincible.”